Hold Congress Accountable

Knowledge is power. It makes sure people understand what is happening to their country, and how they can make a difference. FreedomWorks University will give you the tools to understand economics, the workings of government, the history of the American legal system, and the most important debates facing our nation today. Enroll in FreedomWorks University today!

Search FreedomWorks

Resources

Blog

Email, Big Government and the War on Privacy

Finally, I cleaned out my Gmail inbox, one of the several email accounts I own. Since I rarely login to this particular service, there was a digital pile of 782 unread messages waiting for the delete button.

Skimming through one neglected missive after another, I noticed the ever-present Google ad affixed to each. One email commented on a music video I uploaded to YouTube years ago. The attached ad offered “Free Cha Cha Lessons” at the link. Another email was from an old friend mentioning his tax refund. What do you know, Google hit me with an ad for $20 off tax preparation from my neighborhood accountant. An email from a former co-worker mentioning caffeine? “Want Fresh Roasted Coffee?” was the ad headline.

On one hand, it’s pretty amazing how Google and other ad-based Web services can marry my daily conversations with a (sometimes) appropriate sales pitch. But it’s also pretty creepy. Even if it’s only robots trolling my account, I don’t want anyone seeing details about my ill relatives, my kids’ schedules or my award-winning collection of My Little Pony fanfic. (Keep the last one on the down-low, capiche?)

This email account also draws a lot of political email — criticism of the President and Congress, annoying federal laws, even campaign strategy ideas for conservative candidates. The bad news is that Google is reading all those messages too. The even worse news is that Google’s on record as unparalleled fans of President Obama, the Democratic Party and several liberal causes.

It’s certainly their right to make their political voice heard. But when you factor in the more than $18 million Google spent on lobbying last year alone, the Internet behemoth also has a huge motivation to curry favor with the powers that be. In modern Washington, Big Government plus Big Business often equals Big Cronyism.

Like all companies, Google will do what they think is in their best interest. It is government’s duty to make sure that the companies comply with all applicable rules and regulations. But as I noted in a recent article, the government has already dipped into your email without a warrant or even your knowledge. In 2012, officials accessed more than 30,000 of Americans’ personal accounts with next to no oversight.

Ultimately, our protection against such invasions of privacy is the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. It is past time that our government stops conducting “unreasonable searches and seizures” of our email accounts.

And while they’re at it, they should remove the appearance of impropriety from their cozy relationships with favored business interests.

The current authorization for Title VII, including the controversial Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), will expire on December 31, 2017. Discussion of reauthorization with reform has already begun in the House. In the Senate, however, Republican members of the Select Committee on Intelligence have backed legislation that would permanently reauthorize FISA without any reform.

On behalf of our activist community, I urge you to contact your representative and urge him or her to cosponsor the Export-Import Bank Termination Act, H.R. 3114, sponsored by Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.). Several other House conservatives have cosponsored the bill, including Reps. Dave Brat (R-Va.), Michael Burgess (R-Texas), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), and Tom McClintock (R-Calif.). The bill would abolish the Export-Import Bank, a relic of the New Deal and the face of cronyism.

The growth of America’s government may soon be outpaced by growth of the average waistline new indicators reveal. Rates of obesity have been increasing over the past several decades, but are now reaching some incredible levels. Currently it's estimated that well over one-third of adults are classified as obese and nearly two-thirds are classified as overweight. Perhaps more distressing is the recent discovery that one in six children are suffering from obesity.

The only thing growing faster than the government, it seems, is the waistline of the average American. Obesity rates have been on the rise over the past several decades, but are now reaching some incredible heights. Nearly two-thirds of the country are now considered overweight or obese and more than one in twenty are considered extremely obese.

Over the past several decades cars have become increasingly high tech allowing for computers to take larger roles in the routine functions of the car. Computerized functions have been a boon to consumers, who gain greater reliability and efficiently, but it has also increased the vulnerability to criminal hacking.

FreedomWorks commented on Boeing’s official complaint against Bombardier for selling airplanes at a low price. FreedomWorks President Adam Brandon released this statement following the U.S. International Trade Commission's vote to move forward with a preliminary finding:

Boeing, the very same company, that received a whopping $7.4 billion in long-term loan guarantees from the Import-Export bank in 2014 recently submitted a formal U.S. trade complaint against Bombardier, a Canadian aircraft company on May 18 for its unfair trade practices. The pot calling the kettle black is an understatement when referring to Boeing’s complaint against Bombardier.

Today, President Trump announced his choice for the new leader of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). While his choice of candidate has generally been well received by commentators on both side of the isle it is unlikely he will implement the needed reforms to the FBI. While Jim Comey and the FBI have been grabbing headlines over the past year, few pundits, or politicians are seriously talking about the true threat surrounding the national police force.

The global community has been rocked by tragedy after tragedy over the last several weeks, but few instances have captured the international spotlight as readily as the recent attacks in London . The international community was quick to offer their support to the beleaguered Britain, but a troubling response came from that nation's own leader.